My Latest Score: The J. Crew Rollneck Sweater
If you read my latest sale sweep post, you’ll know I cleaned up at J. Crew over Labor Day. I’m mainly excited about my “millennial pink” rollneck sweater, shown below on the always-with-her-finger-on-the-pulse Eva Chen, head of fashion for Instagram. (Incidentally, this would fit in rather nicely with my roundup of my favorite fall finds in blush!)
Also, a propos of these purchases, I also snagged this wool and cashmere “shampoo” by The Laundress (incidentally, one of Inslee’s go-tos!) for my new crop of sweaters:
You’re Sooooo Popular: Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream
The most popular items on Le Blog this week:
+The lip/skin balm I’ve literally used since birth.
+The cutest flutter-sleeved denim overalls for a minimagpie.
+A cozy Patagonia pullover for fall.
+A fabulous holiday party dress for around $100.
+Very excited to get my hands on this thriller, but I do have a number of books ahead of it in the queue. Those that snagged it: let me know your thoughts!
+Some of my very favorite earrings (under $50)!
#Turbothot: MTV Video Music Awards
OK, this is two weeks late, but Mr. Magpie and I look forward to tuning into the MTV Video Music Awards every year, partly out of nostalgia — the channel is a vestige of our youthful pasts (remember when MTV actually played music videos and was the coolest channel around?); partly in the hopes of discovering new music; and partly to gape with amusement and confusion at the spectacle of our music culture. This year’s awards made us feel very, very old and very, very out of touch. The tl;dr version: Kendrick Lamar is the god of the music industry right now, Katy Perry trying to be a comedian is cringe-inducingly mortifying, the wardrobe decisions of nearly every performer except for — against all odds — Ludacris, who looked sharp in a well-cut suit — were highly suspect, and the entire show needs much more editorial oversight. On this last point: how is it that we transitioned from an extremely serious, unexpectedly important moment where the great great grandson of Robert E. Lee stood and spoke out against the horror of the recent events in Charlottesville, and then went straight into Kate Perry’s bafflingly inane music performance of “Swish Swish”? It was horrific. It felt like someone was laughing at a funeral. I’ve always appreciated that MTV addresses serious topics — in the 90s, they were adamant about discouraging smoking and promoting sexual health! — and this year’s awards created space to not only discuss racism but also mental health and gender norms. But there was something way, way off about the framing of these topics, sandwiched between tone-deaf “comedic” (quotation marks intended) routines and truly stupid songs. If they’d only had someone with a bit more gravitas to properly position these interludes, the show would have been that much more impactful and digestible. What a waste of a platform.
AND WHAT IS WITH THE FASHION AT THIS EVENT. It felt like everyone was either in terrible costume (Pink wearing something I swear The Joker wore in the 1989 Batman, Noah Cyrus — apparently a burgeoning name in modeling?! — looking like she was dressed up as Yoko Ono for Halloween, Jared Leto in some sort of flashy Liberace version of Robin from Batman + Robin with that strange sequined cape) or had forgotten the show was on and rolled out of bed thoughtlessly (Ed Sheeran looked like he was wearing the same sweats he’d worn at home for the past five nights). Seriously weird and disappointing. (Also, Demi Lovato was wearing these weird plastic chaps during her performance. Plastic chaps. Chaps. Chaps, people.) I kept gaping at Mr. Magpie in disbelief. Did every Hollywood stylist convene and collude? “Who can make their client look the ugliest? GO.”
If these awards are a harbinger of youth culture nowadays…no thank you.
#Shopaholic: Laura Mercier’s Illuminator
+I recently read a rave review of Laura Mercier’s Illuminator in the Devotion color. Added to my Sephora basket!
+Random, but for anyone who likes fresh blooms in her home as much as I do, these flower scissors are a MUST. My mother in law gifted me a pair in my stocking last year and I LOVE them — so much easier to trim woody stalks!
+Love this denim dress for fall. (Under $125!)
+This tennis skirt is very Gucci.
+Love the balloon sleeves on this red sweater (under $100)!
+Chic statement top ($77) for a night out.
+Cute monogrammed ornament to pre-order for friends!
+And speaking of gifts, of all the gifts I selected here, I’d like this one the most for myself.